Inkheart

Yesterday I talked about reading to children. How wonderful it is to them to use their imagination and go on an adventure with the main character of the story.

But how amazing would it be if they didn't have to use their imagination. What if the characters the person who was reading about would jump of the page and land in the real world.

That's what Inkheart is about. 

Inkheart (2003) is the first book of a series of three by Cornelia Funke. There has also been a movie made from the book. But I personally like the book better.

The main character in the book is Meggie, a young girl who lives with her father. Her mother has left when she was really young. Her father, Mo, is a bit strange. He binds old books and is always looking for a certain book he can't find. 

The further we come in the story, the more we learn about Mo. He has a special ability. He can read a character from the pages of a book. The character he is reading about actually comes to life. But, it has a down side. When a character from the world of the books comes to this world, a character from our world disappears into the book. And this is what has happened to Meggies mum. She ended up in the world of Inkheart. And some really bad guys from Inkheart have been stranded in our world.

Meggie discovers this secret and from that time on, she and Mo are no longer safe. They have to find a way to to bring her mum back into this world. And put the bad guys back into the book. A true adventure with some amazing characters from various other books.

And for bookfans. Each chapter starts with a short passage from another book. Especially fun when you have read that book and see the reference to the chapter in Inkheart. And yes, there even is a reference to Lord of the Rings!

My advice, do read the book, but be careful. Maybe you also have that magical ability to read characters from the book, and I really wouldn't like to have Capricorno or the Shadow in our world.